We went walking on the Blenheim estate again today. It was the most gorgeous day imaginable: perfect temperature (18 degrees C), not a hint of a cloud anywhere, with just the lightest of north breezes bringing nice, dry air.
Katherine was introduced to dandelion flowers:
The estate is peppered with pheasants, showing off magnificently in the sun:
Initially, Katherine thought riding the stroller was the preferable way to travel, but eventually she warmed to walking herself:
Sadly, the winter months have given Katherine the idea that one must wear shoes outside (also note the coat in most of the photos) and so when we took hers off she promptly sought refuge and adamantly refused to let her feet touch the grass. She seemed quite convinced that the grass would be the end of her. Dada has firmly resolved to address this matter in the upcoming weeks.
Katherine did, however, very much enjoy bouncing on a branch with the help of Mama:
I find the structure of English trees fascinating. I don’t quite know why they have such large, knobby trunks relative to the size of the trees:
By the end of our stay, when Katherine should have been two hours into her afternoon nap and you might have thought she’d want to rest in the stroller, she not only wanted to walk, she insisted on pushing the stroller with her brother in it:
But, after weeks of putting up a huge fight every time she needed to go to bed, today I got Katherine in bed for the night with minimal protest. After a day out. Entirely skipping her daytime nap. And an hour after her normal bedtime.
Thanks for the new pictures – such a beautiful place! I am always delighted when your pictures include loved ones!
…bare feet…Katherine seemed perfectly happy last summer to toddle about in our yard with bare feet, and probably did so at Grandma Dora’s as well. She may have to ‘practice’ in that nice little grassy yard at the apartment, Dada 🙂